"Leave me alone."
Poke.
"Go away."
Poke.
"Stop it!"
Poke.
"Stop it, now!"
Poke.
"Greyson, fuck off!"
Indianna's yell silenced the classroom, and her eyes went wide when she saw everyone staring at her. Greyson simply raised his eyebrows in amusement, his smirk growing wider when Indianna glared at him.
"Indianna, Greyson might be rather annoying, but I think your choice of words might have been a little explicit," Kirstie called, turning around from where she was writing on the board.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to yell," Indianna mumbled.
"Greyson, move to the front," Kirstie ordered. "You two clearly can't behave when you're together."
Greyson narrowed his eyes at Kirstie's condescending tone and remained seated.
"Now," Kirstie said. "Not in your own time."
Greyson gritted his teeth and stood up, ignoring his sister's smug grin. She loved being able to tell him what to do in an institution where he wasn't the boss.
Greyson made his way to the front of the classroom, and the lesson started again. Indianna's outburst was quickly forgotten.
There was no need to yell, sugar.
There was no need to continuously poke me, Indianna countered.
You were continuously ignoring me, Greyson said.
Because I'm angry at you.
Haven't we already covered this? Greyson wondered. Although, I'm happy to go back to the empty office and relive that lovely "argument" we had.
Indianna's face went bright red, and Greyson turned around and smirked at her.
Be quiet.
You're cute when you blush.
I'm not blushing! Indianna snapped.
Greyson smiled to himself.
Sugar, he said, I am sorry. I really am.
I know you are, Greyson, Indianna shrugged.
Are we not going to talk about what happened earlier?
There's nothing to talk about, Indianna mumbled.
Indie, you had your first intimate experience in an abandoned office at school. I'm pretty sure you weren't expecting that.
I was not.
Are you okay with it?
I wouldn't have gone through with it if I wasn't comfortable, Indianna said. Like you said, the first time is difficult. We might as well remember the better moments.
So you're suggesting that we're going to do it again? Greyson said smugly.
I didn't say that...
You implied it, sugar, Greyson smirked to himself. Besides, it wasn't even that bad.
That bad? Indianna repeated.
For you, Greyson said. Obviously, you were in pain, but after a while you seemed to be enjoying yourself.
Let's not talk about this, Greyson.
Okay, let's talk about the argument. Are you still annoyed at me?
Yes.
Okay, let me rephrase that because you're annoyed at me a lot of the time, even when we aren't arguing, Greyson muttered. Are you going to forgive me?
No.
When will you?
Indianna gritted her teeth and sighed.
Are you going to start treating me equally?
To the best of my ability.
Equal or not, Greyson? Indianna asked again.
*I can't just flick a switch and become a different person, Indie. You asking me not to be controlling and demanding is like me telling you not to be shy around new people. It's hard to change. It's who I am.
I was born and raised as an Alpha. I never had an equal. Everyone was always below me, taking orders from me. It's the way I was brought up, and I can't suddenly change that, just as you can't suddenly change your shyness around people. It's me, sugar. I can try my hardest to treat you differently, but nothing major will happen overnight.
Indianna could hear a pleading tone in Greyson's voice. He wanted her to forgive him.
But...
She could make him sweat for a little longer.
Indianna watched as Greyson stiffened in his seat and smirked to herself, ignoring him and paying attention to Kirstie for the remainder of the lesson.
Indianna's eyes wandered around the canteen, and she frowned when she saw Stacy. The mark on her collarbone was clearly on display, and a chill ran down Indianna's body when she thought about Rogue.
"I need to speak to Stacy," Indianna said, excusing herself from the girls.
"Indie, are you sure you want to speak to her?" Brooke frowned.
Indianna nodded. "I'll be right back."
She stood up and made her way across the canteen to where Stacy was seated with her friends. Indianna could feel Greyson's eyes on her, and she took a deep breath, trying to focus on walking at a normal human pace and not think about him.
"Indie," Stacy said, looking up from her phone when she noticed Indianna.
Indianna couldn't help but wonder if she had been texting Rogue.
"Can I help you?"
"I need to talk to you," Indianna said.
"Can it wait, babe? I'm talking to someone important right now," Stacy said, motioning to her phone.
"Stacy, plea—"
"God, Indianna, she wants to be left alone."
Indianna was cut off by a familiar, annoying voice. She turned to look at Kimberly.
Looks like the slut squad has a new member, Greyson said in Indianna's head.
"Kimberly, I'm not talking to you," Indianna said.
"And you're not talking to Stacy, so you can leave," Kimberly shrugged.
"This doesn't concern you, Kimberly," Indianna said calmly.
"If you're harassing my friends, then it does, so fuck off, bitch," Kimberly sneered.
"Excuse me?" Indianna gasped.
"I'm sorry, Indie. Kimberly is new around here, and she doesn't know how to act around different people," Stacy said and turned to Kimberly. "Kimberly, this is Indie. She's an exception. We're nice to her and horrible to everyone else."
Kimberly narrowed her eyes at Indianna.
"I know who she is."
"Sadly," Indianna sighed.
"How?"
"I live with her. She stole my bedroom," Kimberly snapped.
"God, you're such a child," Indianna said under her breath and shook her head. "She lives with Greyson. They're cousins."
"You stole her bedroom?" Stacy wondered.
"No," Indianna sighed. "Kimberly, I don't understand why you don't like me, and I honestly don't care. So please, just don't talk to me. Stacy, about that conversation?"
Stacy looked down at her phone again and smiled before looking up at Indianna.
"Jason says hi," Stacy said, and Indianna tensed.
"You're texting him? Now?" Indianna whispered.
"All the time," Stacy smiled.
She stood up and walked over to an empty table. Indianna followed Stacy and sat down opposite her.
"He told me you've shifted," Stacy said.
"How does he know that?" Indianna asked.
"He knows everything about you," Stacy said. "He cares about you, babe."
"He nearly killed me."
"But you lived. He knew you would," Stacy shrugged.
"Stacy, I need answers. How does he know everything about me?"
"I can't tell you."
"Why not?" Indianna gasped.
"I just can't," Stacy shrugged.
Indianna sighed and shook her head. "I'm scared."
"You're strong," Stacy said suddenly.
"What?"
"You've changed. You're stronger now."
"Well, I am a werew—"
"No, not physically. You're stronger mentally, more confident. You were so shy when I first spoke to you. You still are shy, but you've grown so much. You never would've been able to talk to Kimberly like that when you first came here."
"Where are you going with this?"
"Greyson has made you more confident," Stacy said. "He's the one who changed you."
"Yeah," Indianna mumbled. "I guess he has."
"You met him, he changed you for the better and now... now you don't need him anymore. So come with us. With me and Jason. Greyson has done his job. Leave him—"
"Okay, this conversation is over," Greyson said sternly, walking over to the table where Indianna and Stacy were seated.
He gently took Indianna's arm and pulled her towards him.
"Stacy, you tell your mate that I will find him, and I will make sure he suffers a long and painful death. I will tear you to shreds first, so he has to endure the horror of losing his mate, and then I will end him!"
Stacy gulped and looked at Greyson in fear.
"You believe that," she said, "but it will be you who suffers."
Greyson wrapped his arm around Indianna and guided her away from Stacy. He took a detour towards Kimberly, who paled at the sight of him.
He looked angry.
"If you want a roof over your head and a bed to sleep in, then I suggest you keep your mouth shut, Kimberly. You're a pathetic bitch who gets enjoyment from being horrible to people you're jealous of. Stop it, Kimberly, or you won't have a home for much longer," Greyson hissed.
Before Kimberly could reply, he and Indianna were gone.
"Greyson—"
"Please don't talk to Stacy anymore," he said and stopped walking.
He cupped Indianna's cheek and looked at her pleadingly.
"She makes my skin crawl, sugar. She's been around him, and I can't bear the thought of her being so close to you. Please, just don't speak to her."
"She isn't going to hurt me, Greyson," Indianna said and placed her hands over his. "I know she isn't."
"You can't know that for sure," Greyson said. "Please, for me?"
"If I want to speak to her, I will," Indianna shrugged and moved Greyson's hands away.
"Indi—"
"Greyson," Indianna said sternly. "We're equal, remember? I choose what I do and who I speak to. Not you."
Greyson tensed and gritted his teeth, stopping himself from grabbing Indianna and refusing to let her go until she listened to him. He was controlling, and he couldn't help it.
"Whatever," he muttered and turned on his heel, walking away from Indianna.
Indianna sighed and headed back towards Brooke and the girls.
When she sat down, Sasha looked at Indianna.
"Trouble in paradise?" Sasha wondered.
Indianna sighed and shook her head.
"Something like that."